User blog:Darkus Rayne/As Seen Through Crystal Eyes, Chapter 15
About thirty minutes has passed and the mountains in the distance still seem incredibly far away. History books tell of when Stalaria's edge was no more than fifty yards away from Crescentia's mountain barrier. But over the years, it has drifted away from it, making the small fifty yards a good five miles of demon-infested forest. Leaving Stalaria alone is a good way to die, that's for sure. "Aqua will likely send soldiers to find us by morning." Snow says, breaking our half-hour silence. No one had said a word since Sarah had told us we were fugitives. We'd been walking in silence, on-guard for any danger. We'd had the fear of Demonis put into us in the short time we had spent at the Academy. Lessons we wouldn't soon forget. "Shouldn't we set up a campsite for the night? It's already dark, we'll make better time in the daylight." The girl whose name I cannot remember asks. "No, we'd be found easily. Besides, some of the demons out here are attracted to light. A fire would definitely draw them closer." CP dismisses her thought, patting her on the back. "Leave planning to us, Amelia." He smiles, ruffling her hair a little. Another thirty minutes pass by with silence, causing discomfort among all of us. It wasn't common for demons to stay out of sight for this long, especially at night. The mountains only got closer. After about two hours, we finally reached them. We had been walking at a relatively fast pace, not stopping for anything. The Crescentian mountains are glorious. They stand taller than Stalaria now, and have paths carved out to go over them. We take maybe five minutes walking to the peak of Mount Crescentia before we decide to stop for the night. Tonight, we'll be sleeping on the smoothest rocks we can find. Which, despite the sound, is actually kind of comfortable. It feels no different--better, even--than the beds at the Academy. "What are the chances of a campfire?" Typhoon asks, suppressing a shiver, She'd been shivering the whole night, the forest was admittedly chilly, however. Asher seemed to be the most comfortable. The only downfall of his usual half-nakedness, I had initially thought was his exposure to cold air. I figured he'd be the first to catch hypothermia, but he still seems warm. His body heat would have to give out eventually. "None. We don't want anyone to know where we are. I'm sorry, kids, but you're gonna have to tough it out through the night. Huddling up is the only option I can give you. We have about four hours to rest." Sarah sighs, looking out over the forest below, likely gazing at Stalaria. "Snow, CP, and I will keep an alternating lookout. I'll go first." Immediately, we huddle together. Snow and CP decide to keep near Sarah, hoping to convince her to rest soon. Us students gather in a close circle, spending the next few hours laughing and telling stories. I'm not sure if the circle is warm, or if it is simply Asher, who has taken to bear hugging whoever is next to him. Being the warmest, we decide to alternate who he sits next to, starting with Typhoon, whose lips have turned blue. Ayomide and Micah have separated slightly. Wrapped in each other's arms, they seem to have plenty of warmth. I decide to keep guard with the headmistress. My body doesn't give off heat, so I'm not much help to the others. Though occasionally, I'm called over to be caught in Asher's bear hug. Simply because he is too warm. None of us get much sleep. Instead, we sit up simply laughing and talking about our lives before the Academy. With no fire, our hope of sight relies on the moon, which is shining pretty bright tonight. "That sounds tough." Amelia says in response to a story I hadn't heard. "I guess it's my turn." She sighs. "Before the Academy I lived in Crescentia with my brother. My parents died when I was younger. I don't remember much about them actually." She shrugged, her parents' death probably didn't mean as much to her as it should have. "My brother taught me to fight. Giving me every opportunity to learn from my parents' mistakes. You see, they were soldiers as well. They got too careless while patrolling the borders and were killed only minutes before they were to be relieved. I learned at the age of seven that I have the ability to move things with my mind. But I kept it a secret from everyone, even my brother. I was afraid of death. And I was certain that if I became a soldier, I would die. But one day I just got so mad! People had made fun of me so often, but I ignored them. It was when my brother's fellow soldiers made fun of him and our dead parents, that my anger boiled over. I unintentionally killed three Demonian soldiers and fatally wounded my brother." She's in tears by now, hugging her knees. "He's alright now, but the look on his face stays with me." I understood the feeling. My Mother's frozen face stayed with me as well. In dreams, whenever I close my eyes, I see her in the faces of others sometimes. "What about you, Yoma?" Asher speaks up, loosening his bear hug on me somewhat. "Me? What's so special about me?" She laughs, trying to dismiss curiosity. "Well... We know you don't have any abilities... We also know you didn't buy your way into the Academy. How'd you get in?" The boy whose name I hadn't yet learned speaks up. "Don't be so blunt, Jeremy! We won't force you to tell your story, Yoma." Amelia quickly intervenes, staring daggers at the boy. "No! It's alright. I'll tell you. But let me set the scene first." Ayomide smiles, moving closer to the group, dragging Micah. who has been by her side all night, with her. "I wasn't born in any of the current settlements. I was born in a village in an unclaimed territory. Everyone in our village was given a certain duty by the time they turned fourteen. To celebrate the coming of age, the children were put through a series of tests that was completely dependent on what they wanted to do to help the village. When it came time for my coming of age ceremony, I had already picked what I wanted to do. I wanted to help keep the village safe from demons. My father was thrilled. My brother had abandoned our family's usual choice of protector. Instead, he pursued a more... wild lifestyle. He chose to be a hunter. To go out into the wilderness, face the demons and practically fight them for food. So naturally, my father was happy that at least one child would continue his work when he was no longer able to. I was more than happy to fill my father's shoes, but the trials for that job weren't easy. Attacks from the demons were very common. So common, in fact, that we lost people frequently. Though several of us knew how to survive an attack. So to make sure we were able to survive and fight well enough to live, we were forced to stay in the forest for five days. We were sent about a mile away from the village blindfolded. If we were able to find our way back, we'd be accepted with open arms. But if five days passed and some were still missing, a search party of hunters would be sent out. Those still alive would be accepted based on their injuries. Naturally, if you were severely injured, you'd be asked to choose a different profession. Sadly, I was the only person of my year to request the job of protector. About three days into my trial, I found my village covered in blood, corpses, and fire. Stalarian soldiers had marched through, killed the villagers and set fire to the buildings. Though, I'd come back at an unfortunate time. There were still a few soldiers that fell behind... I was forced into the Academy by Aqua Demonis herself." She told her story with a smile, even though it seemed completely morbid and dark. How could she serve under Aqua Demonis without revolting entirely? "That's... terrible... But... why didn't they kill you?" Asher asks, burrowing his head into my shoulder. I had to admit, it was quite nice, but I was afraid Asher may have been developing feelings for me. "Oh.. Right. Well, naturally I engaged. Couldn't be taken without a fight. Well, I don't have an ability, but I excel at hand-to-hand combat. So much so that Aqua Demonis considered that an ability in itself, and demanded the soldiers to let me join the Academy, rather than suffer the fate of my family and friends." She sighs. I imagine that she's told this story several times before, but I'm still really confused. "Ayomide... Your story... it's awful... why do you tell it with a smile?" I ask her, earning a laugh from her. "It makes me who I am." She says, grabbing Micah's hand. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss home, that I don't wish Aqua Demonis' head would be offered to me on a silver platter. But I have something to thank her for." She looks Micah in the eye and their connection is made clear to me. She then looks at Typhoon, and then to all of us individually. "I'm grateful that she allowed me to live. I'm pissed off that she killed my people just to claim territory of a village that she'd later destroy. But despite all of that, she's given me something I didn't really have before. She's given me a reason to live." "That's too cliche, stop while you sound cool, Yoma." Asher laughs. All of us laugh along with him. "But aren't you sixteen? If you took the trial at fourteen, why are you in our 1st year class?" "I wasn't allowed to enter immediately. They gave me to a family in the middle class for a while to make sure I could live by their standards." She shrugged, resting her head on Micah's chest. "Who's next?" She scans over us, looking me in the eyes. I inhale to speak, but before I can, Asher has already begun his story. "My ability isn't exactly the most subtle. I've lived on Stalaria my entire life. In fact, this is my first time off of that rock. My family lives on the outer farm lands. They're not talked about often, as they're few in number, but Stalaria isn't just city. It has exactly four farms. One of them is the Hillcrest farm. I miss it so much, though I couldn't return today. It's been four months ago today that my ability began to surface. I quickly gained control of it, but the surfacing is always the worst. My little sister, we were about five years apart, and I would always play around the fields when we were done with work. We weren't rich, but we were far from poor, so we made due with what we had and never asked for much. We had a game, more like a stunt, that we loved to play. We'd stack hay beside the barn and jump onto it from the roof, head first. Often times, we'd jump together. It was a time of happiness for our family. Our eldest brother had just returned home from being stationed on Crescentia, so he was allowed to visit home for a long time. He's still there, actually. This one particular time of happiness, however, was ended by me. My sister and I were playing our stunt and I grabbed her by her waist and forced her off the barn with me. I'd heard a loud noise, but I thought it was something hitting the barn. I'd never heard the sound of gunfire before, it's such an uncommon sound around there... When I called out to her, she wouldn't answer. Why did I have blood on my hands? I hadn't gotten cut, it was just hay. I kept calling to her, laughing because I thought she was playing dead. She was so clever sometimes. We buried her the next day. My parents sent me to the Academy after a week, escorted by my brother. They assured me that they didn't blame me. But how do you face your mother when you're the reason she cries whenever she looks out her window?" He shook his head and released me from his bear hug. "Thanks, Twil! You're nice and cold!" He laughs, changing the subject quickly. "But I think it's your turn." I knew it was only a matter of time, but compared to the rest of them, my story was nothing. Just a girl who learned she could make ice blocks. "I'm sure you've all heard my story by now, could we skip me?" I beg, lowering my head, placing a hand on the back of my neck. "Well... We know what Aven Rose reported." Amelia begins. "We don't know your side of the story." I sigh because I know she's right. "Fine, fine." I laugh. These were people I would have to trust my life with soon, it was only right that they knew a little about the person whose back they would have. "My Father spent a lot of time trying to teach me to fight when I was younger. We were in the lower-middle class. We weren't poor, but we weren't too wealthy either. We got by. Stalaria pays it's soldiers well, that's for sure. When he died, they stopped sending us money, and we fell apart. I began robbing people, pick-pocketing, whatever it took to survive. My Mother fell ill about a year ago. We didn't know why, though before she died, Miss Ramona hinted that I could have been the reason. I inherited my Father's ability of ice manipulation, my body doesn't give off heat, but rather, it's always cold. Anyway, I became heavily involved in the black-market. Which is where I met Miss Ramona. She became like a grandmother to me, always looking out for me. She managed to get me a medicine for my Mother, claiming it would help her recover. Little did I know, it was actually a sleeping aid. They'd predicted that my Mother would die the night she gave it to me. My Mother told me of their plan after she had tricked me into taking some of the medication myself. She died of hypothermia that night because in my panicked state of mind, my ability reacted and froze everything solid, including my Mother." Telling the story had become easier with time, though my feelings of guilt never left me. "Whoa. I didn't really expect the last part... about your mom." Asher says, scratching his head. "Sorry about that." "Oh, no need! It's only fair that I tell you, after all, you've all told of your losses as well." I smile, earning a great big grin from Asher who scoots over to trap me in a bear hug again. "All of us except for Micah, that is." Amelia says after a few minutes. "Would you tell us your story, Micah?" It's quiet for a few minutes except for the sound of Asher's heartbeat that I can only hear because of his bare chest being next to my face. "Alright. I'll tell you. Maybe you all will understand... others at the Academy didn't... Only Yoma and Typhoon have stuck by me all this time. Perhaps with the situation being this dire, with us all being in this situation together, I can trust you." He looks to the sky, his face illuminated by the light of a fire suddenly sparking behind us. Asher lets me loose from his bear hug and we all turn to face the source of the fire. Snow, CP, and Sarah are all awake and have made a nice fire. "We have about an hour left before we have to move.." Sarah begins. "Come over here and warm yourselves so you're not freezing when we leave." Everyone except Asher and I move quickly to the fire. After everyone is sitting comfortably around the fire, Micah sighs deeply. "I was born a week after the famous tragedy that took the siblings away from this world." Micah begins his story. The light of the fire illuminates his face, perfectly accompanying the tone of his story. "Indelatra is the place of my birth." That must have been what he was afraid of telling us. Indelatra has always been a subject of ridicule. It has been deemed 'The Land of Cowards', as it's only leaders have all been less than adequate. "Indelatra has never been a place for the rich. It's where a select few of the low-class live now. But back then, it had no system whatsoever. So naturally, when a ruler was killed, Indelatra went into a panic. It wasn't until Aqua Demonis put someone in charge of Indelatra two years later that sanity finally returned to the residents. She chose a person to lead Indelatra based on the help he gave her when she was ready to fight Nike. The man she put in charge, in case you didn't know, is General Raze Senn, who is also my father." He shakes his head slightly, as if shaking off some of his emotion, but he recovers quickly. "I never had a close relationship with my father. He was always busy protecting Indelatra from the demons that lurk in the water. My mother died three months after I was born, so my father was forced to spend time with me every so often, though he hired a maid to help raise me. Things continued at this slow pace of living for all of my life. But then my ability began surfacing. It is something that I still don't fully understand. About a year ago is when it began to happen. My father began to train me himself, preparing to buy my way into the Academy. He'd hit me so many times, screaming at me, telling me I had to try harder. He swung his sword at me with all the strength he could muster. Had I not been gifted, he would have killed me. The sword phased through my body, clean through leaving no trace of an attack. It's cliche, but I'd always felt like I'd be one of the gifted ones, because as early as I can remember, my dreams have been full of hints at it. They've always had one of the Demonis Siblings in them." Asher laughs at this. "Let me guess! Shade?" Asher cracks up, rolling onto his back roaring with laughter. "Asher! Be respectful!" Typhoon shouts at him, slapping his knee. "Sorry, sorry! I just couldn't resist that. Go on, Micah." Asher sighs, reaching behind him to wipe off his back. "I've always pictured Death Demonis in my dreams. But I learned something cryptic about myself before I decided to research him. I began growing chains out of my body. Seemingly never-ending, I realized that I could completely control them. Their strength is only limited if I'm tired. I began to worry, but I decided to do a bit of research. It's said that my condition is rare, but non-fatal. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Upon further research, I found that it is also a trait of Death Demonis as a result of being excommunicated from the Reapers in his first life. I decided to come to the Academy on my own after I began walking through walls, phasing through my bed at night, sometimes ending up in my basement. Miss Snow examined me and told me the basis of my ability. According to her, I'm able to rearrange my genetic structure, allowing me to phase through anything. Which is also one of the many abilities of the previously mentioned; Death Demonis." Micah rests his head on Ayomide's, whose head is on his shoulder. "I don't understand why this is a big deal to keep secret." The nameless boy speaks up. "Is it alright if I tell them, Micah?" Snow asks, her eyes practically begging him. "Please. You'll probably be able to explain it much better than I can." Micah smiles, which I'll admit is a nice sight. The boy's face is normally so harsh, but his smile just brightens up his features. "You see, Micah's condition is similar to Death's, but it's also different." Snow says, scratching her head. "How do I tell you this without freaking you out?" She pauses for a few minutes, allowing the crackling of the fire to fill the air. "Death Demonis. His condition was bad enough to where he couldn't speak. He used his power of telepathy to speak through Stellarah. Micah's condition, however, trades that fault in for another one. He can speak freely, but... In order for Micah to survive, he has to have a daily intake of... Demonian blood." I'm nearly sick to my stomach, but I don't show it. "What does that mean?" Amelia asks, covering her mouth, trying to hide her shock from Micah, who has buried his face in Ayomide's shoulder. "You see, the intake of blood... it's a similar system that the demons run on. Though it isn't required for them to live. What that basically means... is that Micah is part demon." Snow says calmly, ignoring our gasps. "Not genetically! Just his system is closely related to theirs." "Micah, please! Typhoon and I had similar reactions as well. It's alright! These are our friends." Ayomide soothes him, stroking the back of his head. "He's really sensitive about it." She says, making an awkward half-smile. I hear Micah sob lightly. "Wait.. Where does he get the blood from?" Asher asks, turning to Snow. "I'm actually not sure of that." She laughs, turning everyone's attention to Ayomide, who looks down in response. "He gets it from me..." Ayomide smiles, hugging the depressed Micah. "But sometimes he gets it from Typhoon as well." "Anything to keep him alive!" Typhoon breaks in, hugging both of her teammates as the sky begins to turn a dark pink. "You're all very brave." Sarah smiles at us. She stands slowly, looking out over the forest, but her reaction changes from happiness to panic. "Snow! Come here. Do you see that?" "That's a light. They're halfway here! We need to move!" Snow shouts, raising her hand over the fire. The air begins to grow cold as a cold mist forms around her. large cube of ice quickly forms in front of her. "Amelia, hold this over the fire, will you?" Amelia does as she asks, using her telekinetic abilities to keep from being burned. The ice melts quickly, but water doesn't drip. Instead, Amelia's ability turns the ice into a cube of water. "Want me to let it go now?" Amelia asks, jumping up and down from excitement, she seemed to love using her ability. "As soon as everyone is away from the fire. I'd hate for them all to lose their body heat again." Snow laughs, waving us forward. As soon as we have all moved, Amelia drops the water on the fire, putting it out immediately. "I thought you were a medic, Miss Snow." Typhoon asks, rubbing Micah's back. He's not as upset anymore, but he's still obviously feeling down. "I have three abilities. My primary ability is the medic ability. My secondary is ice manipulation." Snow smiles at me. "And my last ability is poison manipulation." "Alright, enough show and tell. We have to go." CP rushes us, earning a nod of approval from Sarah. "We'll have to run through Crescentia before the patrolling shift changes. We have about thirty minutes. Can we make that?" Sarah asks Snow. "Easily." Snow replies, taking lead of the trail that leads down the mountain and through the bright city of Crescentia. Category:Blog posts